There is a wonderful article in the Guardian today by Alexis Petridis recounting the first time he read Sue Townsend’s splendid book The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 which was first published in 1982. The comments following the article are also very enjoyable with readers chiming in with their own anecdotes about reading the book as a teenager.

My favourite passages are too numerous to mention but one of the Guardian readers shared this bit and I remember reading it back in the mid-80’s and laughing out loud. It is about a school trip to London that Adrian’s class were being taken on:

7:00AM – boarded bus

7:15AM – ate packed lunch.

…

14:45PM – Bus breaks down in front of Swiss Cottage.

15:00PM – Bus driver breaks down in front of AA man.

If you haven’t read it or its sequels, then do yourself a big favour and do so!